Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Arabian Dreams [Part 2/3]: Desert Safari

The stay in the United Arab Emirates continues, and in the second part I want to show you a special trip: a Desert Safari. The trip starts at your hotel. Around 10 you get picked up by the team who organizes the safari and the journey into the desert starts. A whole afternoon can be spent here, and the price of admission includes lunch and free drinks throughout the day. But this is not a tame drive into an oasis as you will quickly learn...

The Adventure Begins...

An air-conditioned 4×4 vehicle arrives and picks you up from your hotel lobby. The thrill begins as your driver takes you up and down the golden sands of Arabia before stopping on the highest sand dune, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful view. Here you can experience the thrill of sandboarding, (think snowboarding but down the dunes). It’s an activity for the adventurous and is unique to this region.

The cars are ready for the drive. But the journey is not for the faint of heart. The cars speed up the dunes, come to the top, and slide down into the valley. The journey to the oasis lasts for about an hour and is definitively an experience.

Part of the experience is riding camels. Here in the desert you will see them being fed and well taken care of. There is also a special place where they are held, sleep and just relax. Riding them is a special task as well, and you shouldn't expect a smooth ride. But the workers there will help you along the way.

In the Desert

You are taken to an authentic Bedouin campsite complete with a henna designer, local attire and refreshments. There you can take a camel ride and travel as ancients did in the past, perhaps following the very same trails.

Upon returning back to the campsite there will be a barbeque dinner as the
stars come out and an enchanting belly dancer performs a fascinating
routine to Arabian music. But getting lost in the sand dunes is equally fascinating.

There are many photo opportunities here in the dunes, and even on a cloudy day like this one, during Jasmina and Amer's stay, you can get away with some really dramatic shots from the desert.

Hi Mersad, congratualations for conquering the desert, haha! Those are wonderful landscapes as usual, but i am looking for the shot of the belly dancer!

I was there a few years ago too, when i still don't have a DSLR. How i wish to have more chances of shooting like you did. Maybe we also visited the same dining area, and i appreciated the sunset that i was not able to get a good photo. Oh how i wish to be back this time, with a tripod and a camera.